Forest Minister urges Centre to provide crop compensation

Gangtok, May 5 (UNI) Sikkim Forest and Wildlife Minister S B Subedi today urged the Centre to provide compensation for the crops, which have been damaged following an increase in wildlife population.

''There wildlife population has increased in the past 20 years and the animals have entered the human habitats thus destroying the crops,'' Mr Subedi said in a meeting with wildlife officers, Eco-Development Committee and Joint Forest Management Committee at Bardang in East Sikkim.

Animals like wild boar, peacock and deer were entering the agricultural land and damaging the crops, Mr Subedi said, adding that his department has submitted a proposal to the Centre for providing crop compensation to the affected farmers.

The state with 46 per cent forest cover has about 150 species of mammals, 552 species of birds and 690 varieties of butterflies.